ISHA News: Summer agenda, awards deadline, website upgrade

Yes, the magazine publishes through the hot months. But that’s not all that's keeping us busy.

ISHA Archives

Over the past year, we’ve been working to consolidate ISHA’s research library within an accessible space. Comprised of more than 1,200 books plus hundreds of loose magazines, the archive consists of material collected by Morten Lund, John Fry, Cathleen James and me, and was stored variously in a basement warehouse in Vermont and in a dry storeroom at my house in Colorado. In March and April the Vermont collection was packed and shipped to Colorado, where the entire archive is now shelved safely for cataloging. I refer to the library daily while fact-checking articles in Skiing History and skiinghistory.org, and researching future articles.

The archive contains some gems: manuscripts of unpublished diaries by Charley Proctor and Charlie Lord; photocopies of Western Skiing Magazine, going back to April 1947; the first post-war issues of SKI magazine, combining four regional magazines, and the first bound volume of Ski Industry Magazine, from 1949 (all published and largely edited by Bill Eldred); British and American Ski Annuals, dating back to 1936; most of Arnold Lunn’s literary output from the 1920s onward; and the first eight years of Ski Racing. We have dozens of instructional manuals, including Vivian Caulfeild’s seminal Ski-ing Turns (1922), and hundreds of local histories and autobiographies—enough original material to keep Skiing History in fresh content for decades.

It’s dusty work but when complete, we’ll publish the catalog on the website for reference by ISHA’s writers and other researchers. –Seth Masia

Deadline for ISHA Awards 2022

Books and videos on the history of snow sports are eligible for this year’s round of ISHA Awards if published before December 31, 2022. To submit a work for consideration, drop a note to the ISHA Awards Committee (email seth@skiinghistory.org). A copy of the book or video should reach the committee before December 1.

Website Redesign

Technology changes. Two years ago we learned that Drupal 7, the platform on which ISHA runs its website, will be obsolete in 2023. Accordingly, ISHA staffers have been collaborating with our outside technical team to launch a ground-up redesign of the website, to go live this autumn. The new skiinghistory.org will incorporate all of the existing archives—more than 13,000 web pages—with vastly improved navigational tools to make finding content much easier. E-commerce functions, especially membership renewals, are streamlined and easier to use, saving time and hassle for members and staff alike. The graphic design will be fresh and dynamic. Watch for the change before the first snowfall.

Recruiting New Members

Historically, ISHA’s most productive source of growth has been through the passion of existing members, who pass the word along to their friends, family and colleagues. As thoughts turn toward the new ski season, please remember Skiing History as a gift for birthdays and holidays—and think about passing old copies of the magazine along to friends who might enjoy our stories and will want to join ISHA. To send a free sample issue to a friend, go to skiinghistory.org/send-friend-trial-membership. To send a gift membership, go to skiinghistory.org/join.